Draft Ironstache For Congress - It's Time To Bring The Hammer Down!

By now, I hope that the amazing feat we accomplished last week by electing Susan Crawford to the Wisconsin Supreme Court has startled to settle in.  Despite President Elmo's money, and despite The Felonious Kumquat's corruption, we made it clear that this is still our state and fascists are not welcome!

The one thing we cannot afford to do is sit on our backsides.  Next year is going to be another big election and it would be best if we go into it with all hands on deck, running at full speed.

With that in mind, I am still very excited at the thought that Judge Chris Taylor is considering a run against Bitter Becky Bradley for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Likewise, Rebecca Cooke has already hit her mid-election season stride in her run against Drunken Van Orden in Wisconsin's Third Congressional District.  She's already raised over one million dollars and gained two major endorsements in just her first few weeks.

But what about Wisconsin's First Congressional District?  Who's going to take on Lyin' Bryan Steil?  

It should be someone who has instant name recognition.  It should be someone who can hit the ground running and quickly raise money and get the big endorsements.  It should be someone that the people will stand with because they stand with the people.  It should be someone who is not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty.  

It should be someone who has the chops - and the stache - to retire and replace Lyin' Bryan Steil.

That person is Randy "Ironstache" Bryce. 

I've known Randy for well over a decade and will vouch for him in all regards.

Randy is an Army veteran.  He is a father. He is a loving son.  He is a labor leader of the highest caliber, and along with that, has one helluva work ethic.

Randy supports public schools. He supports women's right to reproductive health care. He understands the importance of Social Security and Medicare and that it is our money, not for the government to give even more tax breaks to the wealthy.  And, of course, he understands the importance of labor and supports workers right to organize and unionize.  Hell, his last campaign was unionized!

I asked you before to help me draft Randy for Congress, and you came through.  And Randy heard us, which led to the Lyin' Ryan running with his tail between his legs.

But now it's time for Randy to finish the job.  It's time for him to pick up his sledgehammer and hammer away at the deathgrip the Republicans have put on the First District and to replace Lyin' Ryan's clone, Lyin' Bryan Steil.

Will you help me?  Will you let Randy hear you ask him to step up one more time?  You can do that simply by giving a holler out on the Draft Randy Bryce for Congress Facebook page, or tell Randy at @Ironstache on Xitter.  Or just reply to this here blog.  I'll make sure that Stache gets the message.  

Randy is a good man, a good friend, and a man I am proud to call my brother.  I hope you'll join me in saying:

How Much Would Cathy Myers In Congress Cost Us?

Think about these two things:

Cathy Myers cost Illinois taxpayers thousands and thousands of dollars when she cheated on her taxes.

Myers cost the taxpayers of Janesville School District $15,000 when Myers broke confidentiality and acted unethically to get her campaign manager a generous lawsuit settlement.

Now ask yourself, how much money would Myers screw the taxpayers if she got near the trillions of dollars that the US Government has?

We can't afford Myers anymore than we could afford Lyin' Paul Ryan.

Vote Randy Bryce on August 14th!

White Privilege Amongst Team Myers

"Democratic" candidate Cathy Myers, who acts more and more every day like a plant by the Republicans, sure can draw some super staff members and supporters..

Today's example is one Samantha Hanahentzen, one of Myers' paid staffers..  She got into a twitter fight with a supporter of Randy "IronStache" Bryce, arguing that Myers would be the better candidate because she has ovaries.  She doesn't explain how that's a qualifier, but whatever.

But then she questions Bryce's heritage.  Bryce is half Mexican, but Hanahentzen refutes that with what I'm sure passes as impeccable logic for her:

Brilliant! Because he doesn't speak Spanish or have a Spanish sounding last name, obviously he can't be of Latino heritage.

The saddest part is that Hanahentzen most likely got this rationale straight from Myers' campaign, which is so toxic now that they will poison everything and everyone around them with their lies and smears.

I can't wait until August 15th when Myers and all her little trolls crawl back under the rocks they came from.

ADDENDUM: I would strongly advise that Hanahentzen and anyone else that thinks the same way read this article.

Win By Any Method and At Any Cost?

Cathy Myers, who is running against Randy "IronStache" Bryce, to be the Democratic nominee for Wisconsin's First Congressional District, has run a very negative campaign for almost the entire duration.  Now, with only a few weeks to go until the August 14th primary, she has increased her negativity to a scorched earth campaign, not caring about anything but winning.  She and her campaign staff will smear Randy any and every chance they get, even if they have to make crap up to do so.

And I'm not the only one who has noticed this and found it to be a strong reason not to vote for her.

The following is an essay written by Chester Todd, Jr., who makes his own observations about the race and the different campaign styles of the two candidates.  I find it to be very well written and very eloquently stated, and is reproduced her with Mr. Todd's permission:

I would think some type of party reprimand should be in store for the Democratic Congressional primary candidate, Cathy Myers!

I am referring to the recent one-sided attack of Myers against her primary opponent, Randy Bryce, who is also running for the Congressional seat presently held by Paul Ryan.

Apparently, someone in Myers campaign investigated and exposed to the media, some personal business from candidate Bryce’s past pertaining to his legal dealings with another person. It is understandable that Myers wants to win; however, by any means necessary or should I say, victory at any cost?

Is it any wonder that the party has a tough time winning significant seats when some of their candidates are allowed to engage in such negative, internal traitorous behavior? Is there not such a thing as, party loyalty or integrity? Oh, and just to be clear, as of this moment, I personally, have not heard Mr. Bryce publicly or otherwise, throw any negatives at Myers, if he has and I missed it, I stand corrected.

Is winning the primary that important to Myers that she would put herself ahead of the best interest of the party?

Myers should consider, how could I or any solid liberal progressive, Black or otherwise, cast a vote in her direction knowing that she is this self-centered? If she will literally attempt to throw a fellow party member under the bus, then just think what she would do to a distant or dissatisfied constituent!

One of the main reasons Blacks do not vote in Mid-term elections is the matter of trust. Let there be no misunderstanding about what I am saying, up until now Blacks have never had anyone, running for an office of this magnitude, who has shown the amount of interest and empathy pertaining to issues affecting our life chances like Bryce, in fact, when compared to some candidates from either party, Randy is a rarity.

To be frank about what I am saying, I would be very reluctant to vote for someone who uses personal issues of this nature to go after their same party's primary opponent, especially in an election of this importance.

The way I see it, Democrats, poor, middle-class and beyond, need this seat and although I might have been misled on some of my choices in the past, of this I am sure, Randy Bryce is by far the best candidate in this primary and with all our help he will prevail and continue on to victory in the general election.

C.T. 7/20/18 Chester Todd’s One Black Man’s Opinion OBMO

Again, very well done, Mr. Todd. It's much better than I could or would have said. Thank you again for agreeing to share this with us.

If you live in this district, please give serious thought to voting for Randy Bryce.  And if you don't live in the district, or even if you do, please help support him so that we can gain this seat back for Wisconsin.

There's Meeting The People And There's Meeting The People

The conservative Racine Journal Times ran a story about an event Cathy Myers held in the Racine area.  She didn't hesitate to take a few more false swipes at the front runner in the primary, Randy "IronStache" Bryce:

Hononegah High School in Rockton, Ill., is out for the summer, and so is one of its teachers who also happens to be a Democratic congressional candidate in Wisconsin’s 1st District.

That candidate, Cathy Myers of Janesville, held a meet-and-greet session Tuesday with about a dozen potential voters at The Branch, 1501 Washington Ave., during which she gave a speech and answered questions on a broad swath of issues. It is one of many such events that Myers said she has planned for the summer.

[...]

During the speech, Myers, who serves on the Janesville School Board, highlighted her upbringing, past political involvement and 24-year history as a teacher. She also emphasized her focus on meeting with voters and listening to their issues.

“So many campaigns are just about inundating people with ads and flyers — which is a component, definitely — but they avoid the conversation with voters,” Myers told The Journal Times before the speech.

[...]


Bryce has been running an aggressive campaign that has included television commercials.

Still, Myers said she is undeterred.

“If money was the only factor, I guess I would consider myself an underdog,” Myers said. “Money is important to a campaign —of course it is — but I wasn’t afraid of Paul Ryan’s money, so why should I be afraid of Randy Bryce’s money?”

The gentle reader should note that Myers was implying that Bryce doesn't meet with the voters like she does so that means she has a chance to win.

There would be a certain validity to that argument - if it was true.

But for the sake of discussion, let's compare the people factor then, using a couple of pictures shared on Twitter by James Livesey.

Here is a picture of the Myers event covered in the paper:

Methinks the paper was being generous by saying there were a dozen people there.  Still, it's better than a book signing event by Charlie Sykes.

Now, compare that to a Bryce event that was also held in the Racine area:

Oops! Looks like Myers is going to have to rely on something other than money or talking to a handful of voters. I don' know. She might want to try running an honest and positive campaign for a change.

Howie Klein On Democratic Primary in WI-CD 1

Ever since Randy "IronStache" Bryce came out with his introductory video, the nation has been abuzz about the race to win Wisconsin's First Congressional District.  Would Bryce be able to actually "repeal and replace" the long time seat holder, Paul Ryan?  Given the way Bryce's campaign skyrocketed, it seemed to become more real every day.

Then Ryan turned tail and ran like the coward he is.  Rather than work hard and face possible defeat, Ryan chose to retire.  The buzz became deafening.

Unable to gain a fraction of the attention or money that Bryce has earned, one of his opponents, Cathy Myers, chose to run one of the most vile, negative campaigns seen in a primary.  This could be explained in a great part by her choice of campaign manager. Instead of picking a seasoned manager with a winning history, Myers chose to pick someone with no experience and a losing record.  Her campaign manager is so bereft of knowledge and skill that many days he chooses to troll Bryce and his supporters on social media rather than bolster support for his candidate.

And it hasn't escaped national attention either.

Howie Klein is known for his keen insight into progressive politics and is an experienced campaigner.  He is the head of Blue America and blogs at Down With Tyranny.

To say that Klein knows his stuff would be a gross understatement.

And he has been paying attention to the race in Southeast Wisconsin and how the media is treating it.  Here is his spot on analysis summed up in a few paragraphs:

See that word, "bankrupted?" A lot of people know what that is from first-hand experience. Media elites tend not to... though they've heard of it as something that happens to other people. Randy has the most valuable brand-- @IronStache-- of any candidate running for Congress. He had 271,000 followers on Twitter. He has 200,000 Facebook likes. His first video had 4 million social media views. Members of Congress have asked him to come to their districts to campaign for them. I've never heard of that before. It's usually the other way-- members of Congress campaign for candidates. The first member of Congress who came to Randy's district, aside from his immediate neighbors Mark Pocan and Gwen Moore, was Bernie Sanders to announce that he had endorsed Randy.

A lot of people are jealous. And a lot of media folks would like to enhance their own reputations by knocking Randy down a peg or two. Some journalist who can dig up some dirt can make a name for himself.

Randy has a couple of primary opponents and one lies about him all the time. A Hillary supporter when Randy was stumping with Bernie in 2016 she's persuaded her followers that she was the Berniecrat instead. Every time she's throwing her bullshit I want to write about it. Randy has asked me not to. He doesn't believe in negative campaigning against other Democrats ever and he asked me to try changing my behavior as well. "Let's save the negativity for Ryan or Nehlen or for whoever the GOP nominates he told me one time."

But... her campaign operative-- a consultant who she pays $6,000 a month-- has been going to members of the media bad-mouthing Randy and trying to get made up stories going about him from when he was struggling in poverty. The working people Randy appeals to don't pay any of the bullshit much heed. The same stories could be told about them or their families or their friends. But not about the media elites who gobble it up....

Wi Politics - Recycle, Rinse, Repeat

By Jeff Simpson

Time to clear out my open tabs and catch up on sme news stories that might be flying under the radar a bit. 

* Politifact Jumped The Shark: 

Randy Bryce, candidate for the 1st CD, recently said:

McKinnon: So you're not a politician?
Bryce: No, and I think that's what people like. But I mean, people voted for Trump because he was seen as a non-establishment type guy.

One thing our WImedia does not like, is anyone talking bad about the Golden Boy - Paul Ryan,   Bryce has done that,  so Politifact decided to "test" Bryce's statement that he is not a politician. 

Their findings - because he has run for previous elected positions, that saying he was not a politician was mostly false! 

Bryce, a single father who has lost every election he has ran in, is considered a politician?  I researched politifact and Tom Kertscher, and find them to be a right wing leaning political tool. 

This is the same outfit that said it was false that Scott Walker cut a billion dollars from education and "fact checked" his claim that he paid $1 for a shirt from Kohl's and gave it a "True" rating without any evidence of seeing a receipt or the actual price tag of the sweater.    Perpetually protecting the right wing in Wisconsin. 

Recycle, Rinse, Repeat! 

*  Hariah Hutkowski, proud Walker supporter, former alderman from Sun Prairie and long time political staffer(for Jeremy Thiesfeldt), was recently fired - for being creep. 

"A Republican legislative staffer was fired amid harassment concerns this month — the same day an open records request was filed asking for information about complaints against the aide. Hariah Hutkowski, a staffer for state Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac), was dismissed May 3, Assembly Chief Clerk Patrick Fuller said. That was the day the Journal Sentinel filed an open records request for employee complaints against Hutkowski as well as documents from investigations prompted by any complaints.   

Another long time Republican and predator, was kept on until his actions became public then was thrown under the bus.   
 
Recycle, Rinse, Repeat! 

Who is this long time "conservative" player in WISGOP politics?  Exactly who you would expect him to be.

 council member Hariah Hutkowski stands out for his far-right agenda. He has a degree in political management from the Pat Robertson School of Government at Regent University in Virginia and works as a legislative aide to Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac), who led the charge to repeal the state's comprehensive sex education law. Hutkowski worked previously for Wisconsin Family Action, the socially conservative group that championed Wisconsin's constitutional gay marriage ban and is currently fighting to overturn the state's domestic partner registry.

*  An almost daily headline that does not make anyone even blink anymore:

White supremacist on probation for assaulting a woman at a Trump rally headed to jail for attacking his wife 

I would say that headline is all you need to see, but as we say:

There is more, there's always more! 

Louisville, Kentucky’s WDRB reported Tuesday that white nationalist Matthew Heimbach will serve 38 days in jail after he attacked his wife in front of their two small children over a bizarre love triangle with the TWP’s other co-founder.
The TWP dissolved after a March incident in which Heimbach attacked his own wife after Matt Parrott, the group’s co-founder (who was also his son-in-law), found out he’d been having an affair with his wife. Parrot’s wife is the mother of Heimbach’s wife, and when their affair was discovered, the soon-to-be-jailed white nationalist attacked his co-founder.

#MAGA  #itsafamilyaffair  #recyclerinserepeat #wonderiftheyarerelatedtothepalins

*   Another school shooting, this time in Texas where a junior, killed 10 people and injured another 10.   The tone deafness of the media in our country is on full display here. 

From the story: 

The teen had no previous criminal history and there were no warning signs of the attack, he said.

Also from the same story 

  -  There also is a search warrant out for Pagourtzis' vehicle. He had written in journals and on his computer that he wanted to commit the shooting and commit suicide afterward, Abbott said.     -  Pagourtzis, a junior, shared photographs on a now-defunct Facebook page of a T-shirt that said "born to kill" and clothes adorned with German nationalist iconography.

I know we have gotten to the point where we think, white nationalists are "very fine people" and that they have a right to speak in any platform they want without repercussions, heck we even legislated that in WI(thanks Robin Vos).   
It would seem simple enough to me that if someone is worshipping German Nationalist, you would know what their intentions are.
However, since 1/3 of Americans do not believe 6 million Jews were slaughtered during the Holocaust, we see that the Republican attacks on education are having a real effect on our country and it is not a positive one. 

Recycle, Rines, Repeat!

*  As I have stated numerous times, hate talk radio and far right TV Stations, and even the Donald, squawking 24/7 about how the Democrats are the enemy and coming to take our freedoms and guns away is having deadly consequences. 

As the Las Vegas Shooter was reported to have said:

Less than a month before he killed 58 people and injured hundreds more at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas, Stephen Paddock ranted to a new friend about a supposed government plot to confiscate guns from the American public. The man, whose statement is among many released by investigators this week, told authorities that he met Paddock just weeks before the massacre after the 58-year-old answered an online ad for “schematics to convert semi-automatic guns to fire automatically,” the AP reports.
The man, whose identity is redacted, spoke to authorities in a jailhouse interview after getting arrested on a “possession charge.” He told police during the interview that he was an unemployed chef who’d become desperate for cash after his trust fund ran dry.
The man said in their conversations Paddock ranted about a popular right-wing conspiracy theory that claims FEMA’s actions after Hurricane Katrina were “a dry run for law enforcement and military to start kickin’ down doors and … confiscating guns.”
“Somebody has to wake up the American public and get them to arm themselves,” Paddock said, according to the man. “Sometimes sacrifices have to be made.”

The only thing that has been sacrificed, with the takeover of public airwaves by Republican Hate Talk, is the truth and logic. 

Recycle, Rinse Repeat!   

* Everytime that you skip a rock on the water, you are speeding up our demise! 

"What about erosion?" Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), offered during the exchange. He added: "Every time you have that soil or rock, whatever it is, that is deposited into the seas, that forces the sea levels to rise because now you've got less space in those oceans because the bottom is moving up.

It has nothing at all to do with Global Climate Chang but everything to do with the waves crashing into the shore and rocks being brought back into the water. 

It is incredible that the country that was first to the moon.  The Country that stepped up when our President challenged us:

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

We met the challenge to be the first one on the moon, now we elect people who ridicule NASA and send the least smartest people in the state to Congress and have them decide the career paths of our most brilliant.   

Recycle, Rinse, Repeat! 

To be fair though, in case 97% of the Scientists are all wrong and this guy is right, I will be starting a letter writing campaign to make peeing in waterways illegal.   #dontpeeinthewater

* Finally, just to show that this is bipartisan(even if heavily weighted to the right), the Democrats are working hard to snatch defeats from the jaws of victory. 

Running against Sean Duffy, is Margaret Engebretson. Engebretson is a solid progressive, great on the issues and everything that is good about the Democratic Party. 

Then she announces that she has hired Kristen Hansen:

Margaret Engebretson for Congress is with Joel Sipress.
May 14 at 7:35am ·
We are pleased to announce that Kristin Hansen has joined Margaret's campaign in the role of Campaign Director. Kristin is a veteran of Wisconsin politics who has served in a multitude of campaigns for congressional, senate, and presidential candidates. She will be developing strategies for voter engagement, fundraising, and volunteer action for Margaret's campaign. Please join us in welcoming Kristin on board!

Whis Kristen Hansen, this pillar of Democratic politics in WI?  She used to be the WISDEMS chair of the 5th CD and took to twitter, when Bernie Sanders won the Wisconsin Primary:

 - Can we get hair and makeup into this Sanders event? Thanks.
-  There's only 1 Democrat running for POTUS -  @HillaryClinton. I'm done pretending this is a primary. It's a hostile takeover. #fightback
-  Things I am no longer doing: pretending the Dem race isn't over, being nice to Bernie Bros, nod and smile at misogynists. #emancipation
- You know why we have superdelegates? Because people who are NOT Democrats and don't give a shit about the party can run AS Dems and fuck us.
 - Dear Sen Sanders: I will not let you destroy our party. You were never with us: 'It will be a contested convention'  Ok

Nothing like hiring someone to develop strategies to reach out to voters with that kind of record.   "Hello, I know i told you to FOFF after the primary and liked to ridicule you but would love to sit down and have a conversation about how we can work together to fix the state". 

Not sure that is the best pitch.   At least there is always Bon Iver:

If you want to win elections as a progressive, stop recycling the same people that have been largely responsible for the Democrats demise. 

Recycle, Rinse Repeat! 

 

  

Meet Lyin' Bryan, Lyin' Ryan's Heir Apparent

With the retirement announcement of Lyin' Paul Ryan, who would rather slink away than face defeat by Randy "IronStache" Bryce, the Wisconsin GOP was thrown in disarray. All of a sudden, their front runner was Paul Nehlen, a white supremacist who was too far out for most of the alt-right, including Steve Bannon.

They had to scramble to get someone in there that won't embarrass them as has happened so often in other states.

Thus they came out with Bryan Steil. Steil is a well-connected Republican from a long line of well-connected Republicans. To make it better for them, he's an unquestioning establishment Republican that will mindlessly promote the same agenda that Ryan was pushing.

Unfortunately for Steil, despite his carefully laid plans, he has not had a stellar start. Just like Ryan, he keeps getting caught up in his own lies while doing the Trump Two-Step.

In fact, he's so much like Ryan, he even looks strikingly familiar to Ryan, leading people to quip that no one has ever seen Ryan and Steil in the same room at the same time:

But the similarities doesn't end there. Steil is a natural born liar as well.

Steil prefers to call himself a former legislative aide to Ryan, but in reality, he was Ryan's personal driver.

Steil had been bragging about raising $250,000 in just the first few days after announcing but in reality, he's been courting the big time Republican donors for a while. One check from the Bradley Foundation, the Koch Brothers or any of the other ultrawealthy could easily explain that amount of money.

Perhaps his biggest blunder has been his boast of having "worked in manufacturing" for the past nine years:

Bryan Steil has spent the last nine years working in manufacturing in southeastern Wisconsin and has seen firsthand how Washington limits economic growth.

In reality, Steil has been a corporate attorney and not actually a manufacturer:

Asked to respond to that comment, Steil pointed to his manufacturing experience. Gousha pointed out that he’s a corporate attorney, and not a “manufacturer per se.”

“But my employer is a manufacturing company,” Steil said. “So every day I come into the office and it’s focused on how do you bring in raw material, manufacture it and get it out of the door.”

His focus is on business development, he said, where he asks the questions, “How do you grow the company and how do you grow jobs for those companies?”

That's when reality raises its ugly head again.

One of the companies that Steil worked so hard with to create jobs was Regal Beloit Corporation, who moved good paying jobs out of the Midwest and into Mexico.

But there's more. There's always more.

Steil still has to answer for being a regent for the University of Wisconsin which has seen a massive decline in their budget and subsequently the quality of the school system and his support for Trump's agenda, among other things.

Perhaps Bryce should make the same offer to Steil that he did to Ryan - send Steil to work the iron and learn what it's really like for a blue collar worker while Bryce goes to Washington to do the really hard work of fixing all the damage done by Ryan.

Meanwhile, don't forget to give something, anything, to help Bryce keep up his momentum in fighting the big special interest money that Steil is already raking in.

Who Is Randy Bryce - by Tracey Sperko

The following is from a Facebook post written by Tracey Sperko, as the title implies.  I am reproducing it here with her full permission and edited only to fit the format of the site.

The first time I met Randy Bryce was on a cloudy, windy morning when he rode up on his Harley. He was going to meet Mayor Barrett of Milwaukee, who had come out to send a group of us off to a protest Governor Walker in Madison. Can you hear Us Roar was a protest of thousands of motorcycles around the capitol and I was connected to Randy to do outreach from Southeast WI. The event went well except for the fact there was a misunderstanding with Madison and I was left with $2000 bill for union bug t-shirts. When Randy heard this, he called me up and met me to take the shirts to an Iron workers’ meeting and sell some. With Randy’s help, I was able to break even on the t-shirts. You see, I didn’t know him, but he called me sister. We were both in the military. He also discovered my WWII dad was an iron worker also. That is my experience with Randy Bryce. He is the kind of man that he would help someone he barely knew, unasked.

When I was working with homeless veterans in Milwaukee, Randy would drive up with donations. He checked in with me. Randy was this quieter guy who always came through. He was knowledgeable about veterans issues and supportive of their needs with his own money and his own time. I came to think of Randy as gentle giant who would come through in a pinch. He didn’t have an ego in the room, but asked where help was needed.

I was deeply involved in veteran issues and it was everything that I was with a blurring of lines. At the height of my good work one of those dramatic betrayals by folks I thought were friends happened. I will always remember Randy’s support. I was wounded. People didn’t know how bad it affected me, but it changed me. I had a position as Chair of the Veterans Caucus for the Democratic Party and I didn’t feel or want to do anything with veterans anymore, but I had to find someone who cared as much as I did. I had to recruit someone who had a heart. I had to find someone who would advocate for veterans issues. It was really simple, I called Randy Bryce. His name was the only name I had on my list to take over from me. Sadly, on my part I couldn’t handle things for a while and didn’t keep my promise to transition it for him. I left him hanging. Randy, being Randy, kept on doing. I have never apologized to him, but I do here. He has always been decent to me, respectful and kind, but sadly I don’t know that I was to him.

I support Randy Bryce for the man he is and the walk he does. If you want someone who has empathy, who is real, and who will listen, then it clear to me who you need to vote for- the Gentle Giant who is the Ironstache. You are my brother Randy and I will be comforted when you are in Washington D.C.

Myers Campaign Takes Cheap Shot, Hits Self In Foot

By now, one should be used to Cathy Myers, one of the Democrats vying to run against Lyin' Paul Ryan, making unforced errors, telling lies and smearing the front runner, Randy "IronStache" Bryce.

But just when you think Myers has hit rock bottom, she finds a way to keep digging.

Her latest stunt, however, goes way beyond the pale.

On Friday, her campaign issues this press release:

Tomorrow, Cathy Myers will attend the Town Hall for Our Lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which has been organized by local high school students as part of the nationwide March for Our Lives movement.

The event will take place at the UW-Parkside Student Center Cinema (900 Wood Rd) in Kenosha from 10 AM – Noon CT.

The student organizers sent a letter inviting Paul Ryan to attend the event last Friday, but did not receive a response. Ryan’s Democratic challengers, Cathy Myers and Randy Bryce, were also invited to the event on Friday and were invited to speak on Monday afternoon. Myers accepted, but Bryce declined despite chastising Speaker Ryan for avoiding town halls since last Summer.

Cathy Myers responded, “I’m excited to support these incredible student organizers who are leading this movement in our district. March for Our Lives has done more to enact commonsense gun safety laws in a few weeks than Paul Ryan has done over his two decades in Congress.”

“I’m disappointed that Paul Ryan and Randy Bryce are choosing to ignore the voices of students in Kenosha and hide from the tough questions that need to be answered by anyone who seeks to represent our community in Congress,” she continued.

Oooh, concern troll much, Cathy?

But there are some very key facts missing from this press release that sheds in a completely different light.

First off, the event she is attending is being hosted by the daughter of Angie Aker, a paid consultant for Myers' campaign. I'm sure that is purely coincidental and that the event is not really a campaign stunt, right? Right?

Secondly, a fact that Myers is fully aware of, Bryce will be attending a town hall event in Janesville, along with Rep. Mark Pocan. This town hall is affiliated with the March For Our Lives movement:

Unbelievable in its irony and hypocrisy, Myers accuses the Janesville event of being a staged event for Bryce.  One of the organizers had to publicly call her out on that lie:

With all due respect, as one of the students who is hosting the event, I want to make it known that the event is hosted by students and we invited Rep. Pocan and Randy Bryce. We are not having “pre-selected questions” and will allow any question

— Susanna (@susanna4change) April 5, 2018

Furthermore, the Janesville event is ultimately much more important and timely, given that the Janesville Police Union, in a show of alarming insensitivity and tone deafness, is raffling off an AR15:
The Janesville police union’s decision to raffle off an AR-15 rifle, the same gun used in the recent Florida high school shooting, is getting some criticism. The raffle is part of a fundraiser and Professional Police Association President Justin Stubbendick says they have raffled off a handguns in the past and were successful in raising funds. He says a handgun was raffled last year for a child with cancer. Stubbendick says he respects people’s opinions — but if they don’t agree with the fundraiser they don’t have to take part. The drawing for the A-R-15 is May 12th.
But wait, there's more. There's always more.

The third point is that Myers is also claiming that this is the first town hall event being attended by a candidate in the district in two and a half years.  Gee, he must have forgotten about the town hall event she attended, along with Bryce, just two months ago.

Not only is she a liar, she's not a very good one.

The most egregious part of this whole fiasco is that Myers, a public school teacher and school board member, is exploiting these kids and the March For Our Lives movement for a cheap political point.  That's something you'd expect from Lyin' Ryan, not someone who claims to be the best choice in the race.

Myers owes Bryce, and more importantly, the March For Our Lives movement, especially the victims and survivors of the Parkland shooting, a public apology and to end her campaign immediately.  It's the only thing she could do if she had even a shred of decency left, which I find doubtful.

The Wisdom Of Cathy Myers' Campaign Strategy Is Debatable.

When Randy Bryce introduced himself as a Democratic challenger to Lyin' Paul Ryan, he did so with a video that sucked most, if not all, of the oxygen out of the room:



What the gentle reader may not be aware of is that Randy isn't the only Democrat running.

Days after Randy announced, Cathy Myers slapped together a homemade video to announce her campaign.  She's been trying to play catch up ever since, without much luck.  Being so far behind, Myers decided to go negative and this quickly turned into pure desperation.

The desperation of the Myers campaign has led them to make one unforced error after another - everything from false claims of endorsements to her campaign manager trolling and bullying Randy's supporters.

One of their missteps has been an ongoing one that they continuously repeat to the point of ad nauseum.

For months, Myers has been demanding debates with Bryce.  Now, this is a common stunt pulled by the candidate that is lagging behind in the polls and/or in fundraising.  But to start raising the issue a year before the election is utterly bizarre.

Myers' desperation escalated this week after another blockbuster rally for Randy, where thousands attended to see Bernie Sanders support Bryce's campaign.  Thus they escalated their demands, complaining publicly that they weren't getting enough attention:

Yesterday, Cathy Myers proposed a series of six debates with her Democratic Primary opponent, Randy Bryce. Myers offered to participate in a debate in each county within Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District – Milwaukee, Kenosha, Racine, Rock, Walworth, and Waukesha.

Bryce has ignored her proposal, but did acknowledge that the August 14th Primary is heating up by buying $80,000 worth of TV advertisements for the month of March.

Myers responded, “Voters are asking for a debate, not $80,000 worth of TV ads bought and paid for by out-of-state donors. Local voters deserve a real debate on the issues because they will decide this election.”

Bryce is a 20-year ironworker and three-time candidate who has never won a primary election. He is ignoring Cathy Myers, a 24-year teacher and two-term elected official who currently represents Paul Ryan on the Janesville School Board.

Myers then made some false claims and came out with this line:

Bryce’s campaign has said he plans to debate “whoever is on the ballot,” which will not be determined until the June filing deadline, a year after his June 2017 campaign announcement.

Myers’ responded that Bryce’s timeline is “unacceptable and disrespectful to the voters we seek to represent.”

There are a number of problems with Myers' little tantrum, besides the fact that it is distasteful and serves only to reveal her desperation and the poor quality of her campaign.

First off, Myers' demand is disrespectful to the voters. If Randy had agreed to debate her, they would have froze out at least one other candidate who did not announce until February:

That's why debates aren't scheduled until it is known who is going to be on the ballot.  Even popular incumbents have failed to make the ballot because of their failure to turn in enough nomination signatures on time.  So there's no guarantee that Myers is even going to be on the ballot.  (Given how she and her campaign manager are busy alienating people, it wouldn't be surprising if she didn't make it.)

Secondly, she's already been on stage with Randy, just last month.  Granted, they did not appear at the same time except for a photo op, but she had a chance to show why she thinks she is the better candidate.  It apparently failed which is why we're seeing the higher level of desperation and self-pity.

Thirdly, Randy has repeatedly said that he is more than glad to debate any and all opponents once the ballot has been set.  It doesn't make much sense to spend time debating someone who isn't even going to be on the ballot. It's a waste of time, energy, money for the candidates and the voters.

If Myers truly wants to see Lyin' Ryan repealed and replaced, she would do the honorable thing and drop out, throwing her support to Randy, who is the clear front runner and the best chance the Democrats have had in decades at regaining that seat.

But if she chooses to continue to run, which is also perfectly fine, she would be better served by running a positive campaign and focusing on raising her profile and raising the funds that she so desperately needs if she even wants to think that she has a chance against Ryan.

If she continues on the course she's on now, she's not doing any favors for anyone but Paul Ryan.

Ironstache Slams Ryan For His Worse Than Nothing Gun Stance

After yet another avoidable mass shooting at a school, this time killing 17 students and teachers in Florida, Lyin' Paul Ryan, gave his standard cliche responses:

Amid renewed debate over gun control after Wednesday's school shooting in Florida, House Speaker Paul Ryan is arguing that now is not the time to wage political battles.

"This is one of those moments where we just need to step back and count our blessings," he told reporters Thursday at a news conference at the Capitol. "We need to think less about taking sides and fighting each other politically, and just pulling together. This House, and the whole country, stands with the Parkland community."

[...]

Pressed on whether he'd consider a select committee on combating gun violence -- a request that Democrats have made repeatedly -- Ryan said "I think Congress should do its job" and referred to mental health reform legislation the House passed in 2016.

"That legislation is now just taking place, that legislation is now being implemented," he said.

It's not surprising that Ryan refuses to do anything but moments of silence or offering up "thoughts and prayers.." After all, Ryan is the NRA's lapdog after getting $172,000 from them.

Randy IronStache Bryce didn't take long in pointing out all the wrongness in Ryan's do-nothing stance in an scorching open letter to Ryan:

Dear Speaker Paul Ryan,

After 17 children and educators were murdered with an assault rifle on Wednesday, you said that we shouldn't "rush" to have a conversation about guns.

Then when should we have it, Mr. Speaker? Next week? Next month? How about the month after that? Because I'm the father of an 11-year-old boy in public school in your District, and I'm ready, now.

Before you start on how what makes this country great is our respect for individual freedom and liberty, I know -- that's why I joined the Army to defend those values. But, as a veteran, I also know what an assault weapon does to the body -- and there's no reason for anyone other than a member of the military to be holding one. It's not worth the risk to our kids, or to the cops charged with keeping our neighborhoods safe, like my dad was.

In addition to being a father, I'm also a gun owner, and I'd like to ask that you never speak on my behalf again. Because you're not looking out for me.

What you're doing is not about protecting "the rights of law-abiding citizens," as you said yesterday. You're looking out for the special interest group that gave you nearly $200,000 in a single year -- the NRA. In fact, you've helped make gun lobbyists so rich that they donated more to your campaign than any other U.S. Representative.

But maybe I'm being unfair. You say you're a reasonable person, Speaker Ryan -- that you're not like the President and others on the political extremes. If that's true, then call a vote on reasonable gun reform.

You said yourself yesterday that we should fix the "gaps" that allow people who shouldn't own guns to buy a gun. So how about we start by considering that regulation you repealed last year that made it harder for those with mental illness to own a gun?

Or what about banning the bump stock a gunman used to murder 59 people in Las Vegas? You said you supported that, but four months have passed and you still haven't brought even that basic measure for a vote.

I've been your constituent for every one of your twenty years in office, so I know better than to expect a reply to this letter. But since you don't do town halls anymore, I needed to find a way to let you know, the parents of your districts are feeling scared tonight Speaker Ryan, and we need more than your thoughts and prayers.

We need you to do your job, now.

Randy Bryce
@IronStache

But to say Ryan didn't do anything would be not entirely accurate. He did do something after all.

Ryan traveled to Florida on Friday night. He didn't go to visit the injured victims in the hospital. Nor did he go to console the grieving families of those shot down in cold blood. And perish the thought that he went on a fact-finding mission to learn what he can do to actually make this country safer for once.

Naw, he went to Florida to party with some wealthy political donors. Yeah, he went to a frickin' party less than an hour away from the school where those people were murdered in cold blood. That's not any kind of thoughts and prayers anybody would or should expect.

But the poor baby couldn't just collect checks and kiss wealthy donors' asses in peace, even there:

The National Republican Congressional Committee — the national fundraising arm for House Republicans — lists a 2018 Winter Meeting held in Key Biscayne this weekend.

Ryan’s spokesperson confirmed to the Herald that he attended the event, which had been planned months in advance.

Thorne said she found Ryan in the middle of the room — “I shook his hand and everything,” she said — and introduced herself as a teacher and Key Biscayner.

“Nice,” the Republican congressman replied.

“Nice?” Thorne said. “You’re here celebrating the death of 17 children.”

At that, Thorne said, Ryan told her he “didn’t want to talk politics” or argue. When Thorne tried to continue, security escorted her out. She chanted “No more guns!” on her way out the door, she said.

The National Republican Congressional Committee — the national fundraising arm for House Republicans — lists a 2018 Winter Meeting held in Key Biscayne this weekend.

Ryan’s spokesperson confirmed to the Herald that he attended the event, which had been planned months in advance.

Thorne said she found Ryan in the middle of the room — “I shook his hand and everything,” she said — and introduced herself as a teacher and Key Biscayner.

“Nice,” the Republican congressman replied.

“Nice?” Thorne said. “You’re here celebrating the death of 17 children.”

At that, Thorne said, Ryan told her he “didn’t want to talk politics” or argue. When Thorne tried to continue, security escorted her out. She chanted “No more guns!” on her way out the door, she said.

And on Saturday, Randy Bryce slammed him again:

"We need a speaker who will listen to everyone, not just the NRA and other special interests who cut him checks," Bryce's statement said.

Ironstache knows the kind of big guns this country needs. It's not the semi-automatic weapons with bump stocks. It's the kind that a person gets from a lifetime of hard work that can handle the heavy lifting needed to repair all the damage done by Ryan and his ilk.

Please help Ironstache repeal and replace Ryan in November, if not for yourselves, for our children. Their lives depend on it.

The Cowardice of Paul Ryan

By Jeff Simpson

In June of 2016, there was a horrific shooting at a nightclub in Florida, 49 people were killed and 58 others injured.  At the same time, there was a Presidential election going on and Hillary Clinton, who had just secured the Democratic nomination had planned a tour through the Midwest with President Obama and one of her stops was supposed to be in Green Bay.   Ms, Clinton and President Obama, figured that even though they were going to be thousands of miles away, that to go about their business of campaigning and fundraising would be disrespectful to the victims and families and thus cancelled the tour.

Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign announced Sunday that she was postponing an upcoming campaign appearance with President Obama in the wake of the mass shooting in Orlando.

Fast forward two years and we are still sorting the pieces of another mass shooting in Florida.  This one at a high school where 17 people were killed and another 14 injured. 

The Republican Speaker of the House, Janesvilles own Paul Ryan (R- Wall St.) had no such qualms whatsoever.   Ryan held a major fundraiser in Key Biscayne, Florida. 

@PERSlSTERS
 16h16 hours ago
More
Sorry we crashed your donor party, @SpeakerRyan, but seriously.. A PARTY 48 hours after the #Parkland massacre?
As the teacher you're talking to in this photo said before your security guys had her and the scary pediatrician lady tossed, "No More Guns!!"
#GunReformNow #Resist

As the teacher tells it :

Thorne said she found Ryan in the middle of the room — “I shook his hand and everything,” she said — and introduced herself as a teacher and Key Biscayner.
“Nice,” the Republican congressman replied.
“Nice?” Thorne said. “You’re here celebrating the death of 17 children.”
At that, Thorne said, Ryan told her he “didn’t want to talk politics” or argue. When Thorne tried to continue, security escorted her out. She chanted “No more guns!” on her way out the door, she said.

Paul Ryan (R-NRA) did not want to "talk politics" at a major political fundraiser.   Meaning he did not have any interest in speaking to a teacher about how to keep schools safe.

Let the peasants grieve the dead kids, we have social security to cut!

Write the check and move on. 

That is why Charlie Pierce calls Paul Ryan - The. Biggest. Fake. Ever.

Please support either Cathy Meyers or Randy Bryce to end Paul Ryan's career as a gopher for the NRA.

Lyin' Ryan Tweets Truth On Tax Plan, Deletes It In Shame

On Saturday, Lyin' Paul Ryan accidentally tweeted the truth about his tax scam:

Ooooh! A whole $1.50 per week! That's a whole $78.00 a year! Talk about your windfalls!

I'm sure that this secretary will be equally glad to know that while she's getting her $78.00, the Koch Brothers will get only $1.4 billion per year. That earned Ryan a good boy treat of $500,000 in his campaign coffers from Charles Koch and his wife.

The secretary will be smart to get that membership card at Costco, because she can spend the remaining $18 on the tissues she'll be needing next April when she finds out she actually owes money because she can't claim her property tax or rent, her student loan payments or any of the other deductions she used to claim.

Ryan deleted his tweet when Randy "Ironstache" Bryce busted him on it and turned it into a campaign talking point:

Moments ago, @PRyan deleted this tweet after we told him just how out of touch he was. Show Paul Ryan what you think of his tax bill. Chip in $1.50 now to help us repeal and replace Ryan permanently this November.https://t.co/c3Fii4Q0Jn

— Randy Bryce (@IronStache) February 3, 2018

And even though Ryan deleted, the world still saw it and gave him hell for it:

Paul Ryan deleted his embarrassing tweet of a blatant admission because he and Republicans don’t want you to know the truth: the #GOPTaxScam is a gift to corporate America and the top 1% at your expense.

He also doesn’t want you to know he got $500.000.00 from the Koch family. pic.twitter.com/ENXxASfAMP

— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) February 3, 2018

Charles, a Koch brother in Wichita, said he was pleasantly surprised that his pay went up $26,923,076 a week... he said [that] will more than cover the cost of buying several more Paul Ryans. pic.twitter.com/pyNYDtTUGw

— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) February 3, 2018

Paul Ryan deleted the below tweet after we responded with: "It will only take four and a half years for her raise to cover a single one of @PRyan’s $350 bottles of wine.” So RT if you want. pic.twitter.com/Ty9geDV9FH

— One Wisconsin Now (@onewisconsinnow) February 3, 2018

Dude. We all saw you. We all saw your pathetic boast about a woman making an extra $1.50 a week. You think deleting it mean we’re going to stop shaming you? Coward. @PRyan

— Kaili Joy Gray (@KailiJoy) February 3, 2018

Hey @SpeakerRyan (aka @PRyan) guess what? $1.50 a week doesn't even cover the cost of a box of crumbs. pic.twitter.com/xgLb24LsmH

— tracy fiore (@tracefiore) February 3, 2018

I bet about now that Lyin' Ryan is thinking even harder about retiring, especially before he gets embarrassed again by Ironstache beating him in November.

Cross posted from Crooks and Liars

Randy "Ironstache" Bryce Slams Lyin' Ryan Over Nunes Memo

More and more people are realizing that Lyin' Paul Ryan has been putting TrumPutin over both the nation and over his own party.

So when the Nunes nonsense memo came out on Friday, the gentle reader could probably guess what Ryan did about it. Yup, he put on his cheerleader costume, picked up his orange and red pom poms and sang the TrumPutin fight song:

:"The matter of concern outlined in this memo is a specific, legitimate one. Our FISA system is critical to keeping America safe from real and evolving threats. It is a unique system with broad discretion and a real impact on Americans’ civil liberties. Unlike most judicial proceedings, the FISA system depends not on an adversarial process, but instead on the government providing a complete presentation of the facts and circumstances underlying its warrant applications. It is clear from this memo that didn’t happen in this case, and as a consequence an American’s civil liberties may have been violated. I also have serious concerns with the practice of using political documents funded by a candidate’s political opponents to make law enforcement and counter-intelligence decisions. Amid all the political rancor, we must be able to work together to ensure the FISA system works as intended and Americans' rights are properly safeguarded. I am glad that this memo helps to provide greater transparency, and I reiterate my support for the similar release of the minority’s memo once it is properly scrubbed of all intelligence sources and methods. It is critical that we focus on specific actions and specific actors and not use this memo to impugn the integrity of the justice system and FBI, which continue to serve the American people with honor."

Randy "Ironstache" Bryce, the Democrat who will repeal and replace Ryan in November, was ready for it and responded, calling Ryan out :

“This is simple: President Trump said he wanted this memo released because it will weaken the investigation into Russia’s attack on our democracy. Speaker Ryan could have stopped the President, but he didn’t, he helped him.

This is why our Congress needs more veterans and fewer millionaires. The nation I enlisted for worked to spread democracy and fiercely protected its own. We understood the tremendous sacrifice so many had made to protect our free and fair elections, and we didn’t do anything to risk them. We certainly didn’t risk them to satisfy the President’s ego or to win a political game.

While damage has been done, we can still work to protect our elections from corruption in the future. I urge Speaker Ryan to immediately call for a vote on legislation introduced several months ago that would protect Special Counsel Mueller’s position and enable him to complete his investigation.”

Ryan needs to go. We need people like Randy who not only will stand up and fight for our rights but also for the country.

Rep. Mark Pocan, Randy Ironstache Bryce Pwns WISGOP

Randy Ironstache Bryce is going to Washington.

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) invited Randy to be his guest at the State of the Union on Tuesday. Even though Randy has told me that he's not looking forward to listening to Trump drone on and on about he's a legend in his own mind. Nor is he looking forward to watching Lyin' Paul Ryan's smug face as he gazes adoringly on his BFF, Trump. But Randy has never been one to back down from a challenge or from a job that needs to be done.

Not only is Randy going to Washington, but during the speech, he'll be running the above ad during the speech.

When I first heard about Randy going to SOTU, I chuckled a little but didn't think too much of it. But given how the right wing is having major conniptions about it, I see that I was wrong. Actually, this allows Pocan and Bryce to own the GOP and live in their heads. All day long, right wing heads in Wisconsin have been popping as they learned what's happening.

Their faux outrage culminated in this whiny press release from Rep. James Sensenbrenner, who is simply aghast at the though of riff raff like a blue collar worker attending the address:

As the President addresses the American people, he does so from the House Chamber, a place rich with history. Members of Congress are afforded the opportunity to invite a guest to join them at the speech. These special guests are seated in the House Gallery to witness the speech. Often the opportunity goes to a constituent or a family member, or even a lucky staffer. Members take great care in deciding who receives this guest ticket.

It is not a venue to score cheap political points.

Unfortunately, in a disheartening attempt to cash in on Speaker Paul Ryan’s prominent role in American government, Congressman Mark Pocan has invited Randy Bryce, Speaker Ryan’s Democrat opponent, to be his guest.

This is an attempt to sow political discourse and deepen a divide in an already fractured political environment. Creating a spectacle like this – regardless of position or party – is disrespectful and out of bounds. Worse, Mr. Bryce is using it as a tool to actively raise campaign funds.

As the Dean of the Wisconsin Congressional Delegation, I expect my colleagues to maintain Wisconsin values and treat each other with respect, civility, and deference. Unfortunately, Congressman Pocan has already disrespected Speaker Ryan by holding town hall meetings in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District, a District in which he was not elected.

By using the State of the Union to prop up a campaign in the hopes of getting a rise out of Speaker Ryan, Congressman Pocan erodes the tradition of basic comity in the Wisconsin delegation.

I call on Congressman Pocan to reconsider the blatant stunt of inviting candidate Randy Bryce as his guest.”

Pocan wasted no time issuing his response, which is short, sweet and cuts right to the bone:

“Speaker Ryan is a nice guy, but it isn’t nice to write a bill that would kick 23 million people off their health care, or pass tax cuts that primarily benefit the top 1%, rather than his own constituents. Worse, Speaker Ryan has now collected $500,000 in campaign funds from the Koch brothers for passing tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. The sad reality is that Speaker Ryan has abandoned his Wisconsin values by refusing to face his constituents in a truly open town hall, which is at the core of our jobs, and by not standing up to the President when necessary.

“Republicans have zero credibility to discuss the state of political discourse in America or what is disrespectful or out of bounds. I must’ve missed Mr. Sensenbrenner’s remarks when the President disparaged foreign countries as sh*tholes, called neo-Nazis and white supremacists ‘very fine people,’ bragged about sexually assaulting a woman, or even reportedly asked his lawyer to pay off an adult film star using campaign funds. Apparently tax cuts for GOP donors come at any cost.”

I also don't remember Sensenbrenner - or any other Republican - being upset when Rep. Vance McAllister (R-La.).invited Willie Robertson to one of Obama's SOTU addresses. Nor did they make a peep when Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) invited Ted Nugent, who had once threatened Obama's life.

Heck, even Ryan himself had tried to score cheap political points when he invited members of Little Sisters of the Poor and who were opposed to Obamacare in their anti-abortion zealotry.

The Republicans have nothing to say about who Pocan invites. They just need to sit back, enjoy their leader's speech and watch their majority and the midterm elections continue to slip away.

Kochs Give Lyin' Ryan His Good Boy Treat For Tax Bill

Image courtesy of Shane Bakken

Last week, Randy "Ironstache" Bryce announced their 4th quarter fundraising was a huge success again:

Randy Bryce, one of the Democrats hoping to take on House Speaker Paul Ryan, raised $1.2 million at the end of last year, his campaign said.

Team Stache also reports that the donations came from over 80,000 donors and averaged about $25-30 each. How did Bryce raise so much? Well, as he said:

Bryce, a union ironworker and military veteran, was asked by Katy Tur on MSNBC in an interview Monday why he's raised so much money.

"People are seeing this wave. This resistance is very real," Bryce said. "People have had enough with where the president is taking us, and we're tired of not having a Congress that's acting as a check and balance to stand up to him."

A few days later, Ryan came out with his numbers. He reportedly raised $1.4 million during the same time frame, putting Ryan and Bryce at about an even pace.

But when you look at where the money comes from, there's a different story:

In the fourth quarter, Team Ryan raised nearly $5 million.

The Janesville Republican hasn't formally announced whether he'll run for another term representing the 1st Congressional district.

Ryan's re-election campaign announced it had nearly $10 million on hand at the end of 2017.

Of the $1.4 million raised by the campaign in the fourth quarter, more than $270,000 was raised directly in Ryan for Congress. The rest came from transfers from the speaker's joint fundraising committee.

In other words, he's using his position as Speaker of the House as a fundraising tool.

Ah, but there's more, friends. There's always more.

Mary Papenfuss at HuffPo points out that a great deal of the money came from Charles Koch and his wife and few other multibillionaires:

Just 13 days after the tax law was passed, Charles Koch and his wife, Elizabeth, donated nearly $500,000 to Ryan’s joint fundraising committee, according to a campaign finance report filed Thursday.

Five other donors, including billionaire businessmen Jeffery Hildebrand and William Parfet, each contributed $100,000 in the last quarter of 2017, according to the records.

“It looks like House Speaker Ryan is quickly being rewarded for passing this legislation that overwhelmingly benefits the Kochs and billionaires like them,” Adam Smith, spokesman for campaign finance reform nonprofit Every Voice, told the International Business Times, which first reported the Koch contributions.

The Koch donations were paid into Team Ryan, which raises money for the speaker, the National Republican Congressional Committee and a PAC run by Ryan. On the same day, Charles and Elizabeth Koch also each donated $237,000 to the NRCC.

Without the dark money, Bryce is keeping pace with Ryan, and could actually be doing better.

And Bryce made sure people take notice of Ryan's dirty money:

And Ryan’s Democratic challenger, ironworker and military veteran Randy Bryce, made sure that these massive gifts and the context around them did not go unnoticed.

Paul Ryan passed a 1.5 trillion dollar tax bill that takes from working people to give to the super rich.

Days later, he got $500,000 in Koch contributions.https://t.co/mctzh9RYu8

— Randy Bryce (@IronStache) January 21, 2018

Ryan would be hard-pressed to claim that these donations had nothing at all to do with the passage of the bill, considering the Koch brothers spent millions on the effort to sell the scam to the American people.

It needs to be also pointed out that the Kochs and Ryan's other benefactors are using our own money against us, seeing how they will gain exponentially more money from Ryan's tax plan. Thanks, Citizens United!

If you can, please help Randy keep getting his message out so that he can kick Ryan out. Give whatever you can to help the cause of regaining our country from the plutocrats and oligarchs that are pulling Ryan's strings. Don't let Ryan and his dark money overlords buy another election.